Jeremiah 35

English Standard Version

English Standard Version

1The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord in the days of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah, king of Judah: (Jer 25:1)

2“Go to the house of the Rechabites and speak with them and bring them to the house of the Lord, into one of the chambers; then offer them wine to drink.” (1Ki 6:5; 1Ch 2:55; 1Ch 9:26; 1Ch 9:33)

3So I took Jaazaniah the son of Jeremiah, son of Habazziniah and his brothers and all his sons and the whole house of the Rechabites.

4I brought them to the house of the Lord into the chamber of the sons of Hanan the son of Igdaliah, the man of God, which was near the chamber of the officials, above the chamber of Maaseiah the son of Shallum, keeper of the threshold. (De 33:1; 2Ki 12:9; 2Ki 25:18; Jer 21:1; Jer 29:25; Jer 35:2; Jer 37:3)

5Then I set before the Rechabites pitchers full of wine, and cups, and I said to them, “Drink wine.”

7You shall not build a house; you shall not sow seed; you shall not plant or have a vineyard; but you shall live in tents all your days, that you may live many days in the land where you sojourn.’ (Ex 20:12; Eph 6:2)

8We have obeyed the voice of Jonadab the son of Rechab, our father, in all that he commanded us, to drink no wine all our days, ourselves, our wives, our sons, or our daughters,

9and not to build houses to dwell in. We have no vineyard or field or seed,

10but we have lived in tents and have obeyed and done all that Jonadab our father commanded us.

11But when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against the land, we said, ‘Come, and let us go to Jerusalem for fear of the army of the Chaldeans and the army of the Syrians.’ So we are living in Jerusalem.” (2Ki 24:1; 2Ki 24:2; Jer 35:1; Jer 35:7; Jer 46:2)

13“Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Go and say to the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Will you not receive instruction and listen to my words? declares the Lord. (Jer 5:3)

14The command that Jonadab the son of Rechab gave to his sons, to drink no wine, has been kept, and they drink none to this day, for they have obeyed their father’s command. I have spoken to you persistently, but you have not listened to me. (Jer 25:3)

15I have sent to you all my servants the prophets, sending them persistently, saying, ‘Turn now every one of you from his evil way, and amend your deeds, and do not go after other gods to serve them, and then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to you and your fathers.’ But you did not incline your ear or listen to me. (2Ki 17:13; Jer 7:6; Jer 18:11; Jer 34:14; Jer 35:14)

16The sons of Jonadab the son of Rechab have kept the command that their father gave them, but this people has not obeyed me.

17Therefore, thus says the Lord, the God of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I am bringing upon Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem all the disaster that I have pronounced against them, because I have spoken to them and they have not listened, I have called to them and they have not answered.” (Isa 50:2)

18But to the house of the Rechabites Jeremiah said, “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Because you have obeyed the command of Jonadab your father and kept all his precepts and done all that he commanded you,

19therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the son of Rechab shall never lack a man to stand before me.” (Jer 15:1)